We were interviewing an oncologist about how he discusses testing with his patients. He lamented that it’s a complex subject complicated further by the fact that many patients come to appointments armed with folders thick with printouts from the Internet. Then he said, "You know that these days the greatest source of 2nd opinions is Dr. Google."

There is a lot of talk these days about the Millennials, those 20- and even 30-somethings previously labeled Gen Y. Millennials want meaningful work, we are told. Millennials care more about making a difference than making a huge salary. Milllennials won’t cop to the work-’til-you-drop mentality of Baby Boomers or the work hard/play hard mantra of Gen Xers. Millennials don’t join companies; they join cultures.

These past few days we at KHJ have been in conversation with a company in France, and the communications have all been in French. Fortunately, our executive VP, Sylvie Askins, is a native French speaker and has been handling the e-mail exchanges with ease.

Is a merger or an acquisition rocking your world? As you grapple with how to integrate products, process and performance, don’t forget about your people. Employees are your culture, your reputation, your brand in action. In fact, companies that invest in their internal brand show more than 50% greater ROI in many areas, including employee engagement, retention, productivity and customer satisfaction.